Community-based Sustainability Research Articles

Community-based sustainability initiatives: the quality of relationships matter?

The quality of relationships between different actors involved in community-based sustainability initiatives is central to their success. This study examines the role of the qualities of social relationships within 22 different community-based sustainability initiatives each framed round different types of sustainability challenges, from flooding and climate change to community development and youth engagement. Research involved 37 semi structured interviews, combined with visual techniques, to explore the qualities of different relationship from the perspective of actors actively engaged in developing and progressing initiatives with different communities across Scotland. A typology of relationship qualities (tense, pragmatic and supportive qualities) is presented and applied to examine the ways in which relationships shape the benefits that participants identify for these community-based initiatives. The findings show supportive relationship qualities, involving a sense of respect, integrity, honesty and opportunities to test out new ideas, are particularly important in sustainability initiatives, providing a diverse range of benefits. Relationship qualities can also shift over time, either relatively suddenly or incrementally. Some groups of initiative actors worked strategically with relationships, underpinning their relationship-based strategies with relationships with different actors dominated by supportive qualities to actively harness the benefits these types of relationships provide and strengthen the sense of community and shared interest surrounding initiatives. A focus on relationship qualities can therefore provide a more dynamic picture of how community-based initiatives unfold and adapt to increasingly complex challenges. Such an approach places human agency centre-stage, recognising the fundamental importance of shaping social relationships within community-based initiatives.

Gaps and Challenges in Harnessing the Benefits and Opportunities of Indigenous Certification for a Sustainable Communal Commercial Lobster Fishery.

The Marshall Decision of Canada's Supreme Court inspired the Mi'kmaq in the 1700s regarding recognizing fishing rights to the Mi'kmaq communities. Despite this recognition, the Mi'kmaq communities did not have access to commercial fisheries due to the denial of absolute recognition of territories and rights and underrepresentation and participation in resource allocation, governance, and decision-making processes. A potential approach to these issues is the development of third-party Indigenous community-based sustainability certification standards for the American lobster (Homarus americanus) commercial fishery of Nova Scotia by Mi'kmaq communities. An Indigenous certification is a market-based tool that focuses on a holistic approach to the sustainability of the resource, followed by independent accreditations and standards. This study identifies the gaps, challenges, and opportunities of Indigenous-based certifications for the American lobster commercial fishery. We adopt a participatory approach to conventional policy analysis and perform a secondary analysis of existing legal and scientific resources to glean valuable information for supporting the establishment of an Indigenous certification for the American lobster. Certification could provide benefits such as increased control over fisheries management, governance, rights, and socioeconomic interest, building capacity for Mi'kmaq communities, and improving stakeholder relationships. However, there are issues with the entry points of certification for Indigenous peoples related primarily to the dominant actors in accreditation. This study will support further research and engagement of the Mi'kmaq people toward developing an Indigenous certification scheme.

The Dartmouth Falls Prevention Training Program: Primary Care and Community-Based Organization Collaboration

Falls are a leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries in older adults. Older adult participation in community-based falls prevention programs can significantly reduce falls risk, however, identifying and referring individuals to appropriate programs can be challenging. Through Administration for Community Living (ACL) funding, we have developed a comprehensive Dartmouth Falls Prevention Training Program for healthcare and community based organizations that includes (1) Falls screening in primary care; (2) “Balance Days”, a community-based education and balance screening event encompassing falls risk stratification and coaching into programs; (3) Instructor Training for Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance®, a highly effective falls prevention program; and (4) Implementation Training, a research informed workshop shown to enhance community-based program sustainability through participant retention. We will share strategies for sustainable collaborations between primary care and CBOs to reach at-risk individuals and improve lives and decrease costs associated with falls.

Integrating Artificial Urban Wetlands Into Communities: A Pathway to Carbon Zero?

In their natural state, wetland ecosystems provide an optimum natural environment for the sequestration and long-term storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. The loss of wetlands under advancing urbanization not only diminishes this capacity for storage, but increases methane and greenhouse gases as the land is disturbed. Nevertheless, there is growing scientific interest in using artificial or constructed wetlands as a way to mitigate the impact of global climate change, with most attention on their use for water management. Using a potential integrated urban wetland site in Glasgow as a case study, this paper critically examines how artificial urban wetlands can contribute to urban net zero targets in terms of their ability for carbon sequestration, and as part of sustainability initiatives more broadly. We find there are several barriers to implementing artificial urban wetlands for carbon drawdown alone, in particular regarding land ownership constraints, uncertainties in capture efficacy and capture quantitation, and eligibility for market-based crediting schemes. These issues make it currently challenging for the carbon reduction contribution of urban wetlands to be quantified and, say, certified to generate revenue to communities through market-based carbon crediting. However, if integrated within wider community-based sustainability initiatives, artificial urban wetlands can support multiple dimensions of sustainability, creating or supporting value far beyond water management and carbon sequestration objectives. Potential co-benefits range from areas such as health and wellbeing, biodiversity, education, food security, behavioural changes, and social care. Our findings show that for these co-benefits to be identified, maximised and realised, a place-based approach to urban wetland development must be adopted, engaging stakeholders from the project outset to define and facilitate collaboration towards shared outcomes for society, community, and environment. These findings will be relevant to any urban infrastructure development seeking to meet sustainability goals beyond carbon capture.

Business models for the Anthropocene: accelerating sustainability transformations in the private sector

The rapid pace and escalating severity of climate change impacts have made clear that current incremental approaches to pressing global socio-ecological challenges are insufficient to address the root causes of unsustainable development. This has spurred increasing interest in the dynamics of transformation: the actors, capacities and resources needed to fundamentally shift development paths. The private sector is at the core of essential transformative processes necessary to build a future premised on environmental integrity, social inclusivity, and resilience. The activities of the private sector are structured and driven by their underlying business model, which is at its core a set of assumptions about how a business creates, extracts and delivers value. Dominant conceptualizations of the business model remain a narrow imagining of how business interacts with societal processes and shape development patterns. In this article we call for the conceptualization and design of business models anchored in societal purpose and operating within planetary boundaries, apt for the Anthropocene. We identify five building blocks for business models where transdisciplinary sustainability research can accelerate entrepreneurial activity that fosters desirable sustainable pathways by enabling the creation of new capabilities in support of broader transformational processes. This article seeks to inform (and potentially re-orient the efforts of) transdisciplinary scholars engaging the private sector in the co-production of community-based sustainability and resilience-building initiatives. Likewise, the building blocks provide a guide for businesses who aim to deepen their capacity to build new partnerships, identify, and incorporate new information on climate risk into their operations and develop practices, sequences and procedures oriented toward the sustainable development goals and disaster resilience.

Mode-2 Knowledge Production within Community-Based Sustainability Projects: Applying Textual and Thematic Analytics to Action Research Conversations

Sustainability transition projects (STPs) employ specialist knowledge and learning to lever changes for the communities with which they engage. Research into these forms of organizations often focuses on engagement practices and their relative success or failure to facilitate local transitions toward sustainability. What has attracted comparatively less attention, however, is how STPs develop their own sense of expertise in this role as a broker of Mode-2 knowledge or their own understanding about what it is that they are doing in facilitating community-scale changes. Privileging an emphasis on language-in-use research in organizational theory, this study analyzed the transcriptions of facilitated action research (AR) meetings of a case study STP by applying text mining methods in conjunction with a thematic analysis, the latter exploring insights gained across themes of governance, delivery, networks, challenges, and learning. The findings from these analyses are discussed with reference to how the case study STP staff group construes their work in the domain of sustainability and the generation and acquisition of relevant knowledge and learning in this specialized subsector of community development.

The socio-cultural dimensions of community-based sustainability: Implications for transformational change

There is substantial difficulty with effectively, and meaningfully, engaging the public with community-based sustainability projects as a method to facilitate sustainable lifestyles. Individuals engage with community projects in numerous ways: cognitively (knowledge), affectively (emotions), and behaviourally (actions). One prevalent consideration that individuals consider is other peoples’ (lack of) engagement; given that the success of community-based approaches addressing climate change is dependent upon the actions, and participation, of all local residents. Findings from focus groups in seven urban communities in the UK are presented that illustrate clear elements of ‘Othering’ as part of individual engagements with community-based sustainability projects. Primarily, there is substantial consideration towards what other people within the community know, feel, and do to engage with community-based projects. Residents distinguish themselves in opposition to those they view as engaging, and not engaging, in the same way as themselves and indicate the need for equitable participation amongst all residents. These considerations have the potential to project particular barriers on wider community engagement if left to develop, cause tension, and are not resolved. Implications for participatory strategies to meaningfully and effectively engage individuals with community-based sustainability and transformational change are outlined. Insights into how considerations of ‘Othering’ can be overcome so as not to cause negative engagements with other residents and attempts to live sustainably as part of a community approach are illustrated.

The role and scope of occupational therapy in Africa

Purpose Occupational therapy (OT) is a global health profession that promotes participation in meaningful occupations to enhance well-being, particularly for persons with disabilities. Occupational therapy is relatively new in many African countries and there is limited research regarding the role of OT in this region. Thus, this study aims to understand the role and scope of OT in Africa by exploring its unique contribution to healthcare and cultural considerations for practicing OT in various African contexts. Methods We conducted an exploratory qualitative descriptive study involving semi-structured interviews with 15 occupational therapists from 11 African countries. Interview questions focused on participants’ work activities, rewards and challenges of their work, and perceived contribution to healthcare. We audio-recorded and transcribed interviews followed by inductive thematic analysis. Results All participants described maintaining multiple roles. Four main themes (with sub-themes) emerged: advocacy (clients and the profession), collaboration (multi-disciplinary team, professional support, and internationally), maintaining core OT principles (occupation, function, participation, empowerment, and holistic practice), and contextual considerations (community-based services, practice approaches, sustainability, cultural norms, and spirituality). Conclusions Occupational therapists working in African contexts have a unique and challenging role involving advocacy and collaboration. They need to maintain core OT values whilst addressing contextual considerations to ensure culturally relevant practice. Implications for Rehabilitation Occupational therapists have an important role in promoting health and well-being; however, practice is influenced by the cultural context. Occupational therapists in Africa maintain multiple roles, including advocacy for their clients and the profession, and collaboration within a multidisciplinary team, for professional support and internationally. African occupational therapists need to be rooted in core OT principles whilst considering their unique context to ensure culturally relevant practice.

Learning How to Learn in Sustainability Transitions Projects: The Potential Contribution of Developmental Evaluation

Background: Community-based sustainability transitions projects are increasingly being considered for their potential as policy delivery vehicles for the UK government Climate Change Act commitments. At the same time, project funders seek reassurances that their investments are relevant in helping communities mitigate, and adapt to, the effects of climate change. Despite this increased pressure, recent research suggests that evaluations of such sustainability transitions projects have, on the one hand variable impacts, or impacts that are of an inadequate scale, duration, or type, or on the other, that project staff lack the capacity or resources to undertake monitoring and evaluation to the degree of rigour expected by policy makers and funders.
 Purpose: This article reports on an extended case study of a fully-funded five year community-based sustainability transitions project in Leicestershire, England. In particular, it reviews the deployment of developmental evaluation (DE) methods in an attempt to capture the project team’s learning about doing community-based sustainability work.
 Setting: A funded community-based sustainability transitions project in a south Leicestershire market town.
 Intervention: Developmental evaluation methods were used to capture project-based learning as a resource for project innovation and adaptation.
 Research Design: Phronetic case study.
 Data Collection and Analysis: Participant-observation, action research, focus and special issue group facilitation.
 Findings: Use of a developmental evaluation method identified key learning points for the project actors; these focused on how the project had adapted to the complexities of the operating environment through innovations in second-order learning or learning how to learn. The paper makes recommendations for the design and funding arrangements of community-based sustainability transitions initiatives and developmental evaluation is endorsed as a viable and promising adjunct to more traditional impact, economic, and process evaluation methodologies.
 Keywords: developmental evaluation; second-order learning; community-based sustainability; phronesis; action research; project design.

Perceptions re Community-Based Projects for Economic and Societal Development

Perceptions and expectations are integral aspects which affect people's decision making to support community-based development programs. Few studies have explored the perceptions-behaviour relationship and more so the stakeholders' perceptions towards the sustainability of community-based agricultural projects especially aquaculture. An understanding of perceptions for different stakeholder groups in community-based projects can clear misconceptions, and identify factors that can unleash the full potential of the community-based projects, so as to achieve sustainable societal development. In Namibia, four out of six community-based fish farm projects have failed. Hence, there is a need to explore stakeholder perceptions for improvement. Adopting a qualitative research method with interview guide to collect primary data, the aim of the article is to understand the status quo, re-define stakeholders' roles, expectations, and perceptions about consultation, participation, empowerment, ownership, etc., of community-based aquaculture project improvement and sustainability in Namibia.

A multi-dimensional assessment of the environmental and socioeconomic performance of community-based sustainability initiatives in Europe

The contribution of community-based initiatives towards sustainability transitions is of growing interest. However, systematic, quantitative, and comparative assessments of their potential impact across different environmental, social, and economic dimensions are scarce. In this paper, we present a multi-dimensional assessment of 37 initiatives grouped in the following typologies: community gardens, solidarity purchasing groups, food cooperatives, community energy, recycling, and mobility initiatives. We provide evidence of the capacity of community-based sustainability initiatives to promote effective and efficient low-carbon solutions, social capital and inclusion, human capital, economic impact, and innovation. We show that, thanks in particular to their environmental effects, community energy initiatives are the best performing, although their social impact is weak. The opposite is true for community gardens. Mobility and recycling initiatives rank lower but can obtain meaningful impacts if they engage intensively within their communities. Food cooperatives and purchasing groups have the weakest effects. However, we show that results for individual initiatives are variable—indicating that the specific activities undertaken are less important than how they are conducted. Moreover, the best-performing initiatives are usually active in more than one typology, showing that diversification is an asset. We also show some interesting correlations between the degree of diversity of participants that initiatives can attract, their propensity to diffuse knowledge, and their creativity in finding carbon-efficient solutions. Finally, top-ranked initiatives overall rarely appear at the top of any separate assessment criterion: the possibility of a community-led transition rests on their performance across several dimensions combined.

Enabling and disabling policy environments for community-led sustainability transitions

This paper explores the role public policies have or may have in favoring or disfavoring the emergence, development, and diffusion of community-based sustainability initiatives. To this end, it presents evidence collected through a survey of 63 initiatives operating in six city-regions in Europe and across various domains of active citizenship: alternative food networks, community energy, sustainable mobility, and recycling. Results show that although they are mostly driven by pragmatic goals, the case of apolitical grassroots initiatives is quite rare. Most initiatives aspire both to challenge the political regime and strengthen their relationships with policy-makers. These two dimensions are correlated, showing that an “antagonist” attitude is as well infrequent. When it comes to the content of these relationships, the picture becomes more problematic: while one-half of the initiatives have been supported by public policies, almost two-thirds of them encountered some policy obstacle. The issue is very much context-specific. We show that in those countries or domains where the policy environment is more supportive—in the UK, Finland, waste and energy—the political activities of initiatives are also more dialogical. However, in unsupportive contexts—Central and Southern Europe, and food domain—they tend to be oppositional. Based on an analysis of the most recurrent policy barriers, the paper identifies some crucial areas where public policies can make a difference in facilitating or hindering a community-led sustainability transition.

What’s being tested and what’s being learnt? A contribution to lessons learned evaluation methods for community-based sustainability initiatives.

Aim:There is little good practice guidance with respect to methods and skills for conducting lessons learned evaluations of community-based development projects. In this paper we utilise a mixed methods approach to evaluate the lessons learned by the team members and stakeholders of a funded five year ‘test-and-learn’ sustainability initiative. The approach combines a statistical and a qualitative thematic analysis of transcribed textual data and presents an analytic framework with which to track the lessons learned by community development projects. Design/ Research methods:A mixed methods approach combining text and sentiment mining complemented by a qualitative thematic analysis is applied to the same data collected from stakeholder responses to an on-line survey and the transcribed audio recordings of four focus groups in which stakeholders participated. Conclusions/ findings:Employing replicable tools, augmented by qualitative research methods, provide a framework for a systematic approach to elicit and capture lessons learned by a sustainable community development project. These bear on how project activities, from engagement to supporting the local food economy, have been experienced by stakeholders and their learning acquired over the course of the project. Implications for future project design and funding options are considered. Originality/ value of the article:Despite the evident value of its contribution to improving project design and funding options, the evaluation of lessons learned in community-based sustainability work remains under-researched. The combined use of text and sentiment mining techniques with qualitative thematic analysis on the same data offers an original contribution to research in this field.

Building Partnerships in Pakistan: Meeting the learning needs of vulnerable children through interdependency

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 is ambitious and tests national governments' capacity to address human development challenges, such as access to quality education. Collaborative initiatives that leverage the capacity of diverse stakeholders will be essential to meet the education and learning needs of the world's children, particularly the most vulnerable. Teaching at the Right Level in Pakistan is a cooperative example characterized by Education Diplomacy principles of community-based participation, partnership, and sustainability that supports the potential of every child.

Social Marketing Perspectives on Barriers to and Enablers of Effective Sustainability Communication

Purpose of the paper : The purpose of this paper is to discuss the challenges facing those communicating the potential impact of sustainability on individuals and social groups, using widely accepted behaviour change theories to illustrate major factors that influence behaviour change decisions and supplement this with a review of literature that discusses other factors that should also be considered in developing communication strategies. Methodology : This is a conceptual paper that uses social marketing principles to highlight the challenges involved in the effective communication of sustainability and related issues. Findings : We highlight the complexity of factors impacting on individuals’ attitudes, beliefs and actual behaviour adaptation and suggest that current communication strategies could be significantly improved through greater understanding of adaptation decisions and the key barriers to, and enablers, of sustained positive behaviour change. We highlight current deficiencies relating to both individual and community behaviour change and develop a research agenda that may assist in addressing current gaps in knowledge. We then discuss several major issues in relation to community-based sustainability issues. The paper concludes with recommendations for transdisciplinary research to focus on improvements to message clarity and communication as well as on an understanding of the way messages are accessed and synthesised. Limitations : This is a conceptual paper: cross-cultural and trans-disciplinary research is needed to determine how the discussed factors vary across contexts. Implications : An increased understanding of the factors influencing effective communication will benefit policy makers and those involved in the communication of sustainability-related issues. Originality of the paper : The value of this paper is that it takes a trans-disciplinary approach to issues normally discussed only within individual disciplinary areas.

Regime pressures and organizational forms of community-based sustainability initiatives

We explore how applying for and maintaining a legal form of organization exposes community-based initiatives (CBIs) to pressures with the potential to shape them. Using grounded theory and the multi-level perspective, we found that there are two types of pressures through which regimes influence CBIs associated with legal forms of organization: resource dependence and coercive isomorphism. These pressures come in the form of barriers which push and prevent CBIs in the process of acquiring and maintaining a legal organizational form. CBIs resist and work to overcome the pressures using social capital, internal agreements, citizen financing, and umbrella organizations. This knowledge contributes to the understanding of how regimes resist and create barriers to innovations, how CBIs cope with this regime resistance, and has implications for the design of instruments for purposeful transitions.

The influence of public funding on community-based sustainability projects in Scotland

Community-based initiatives (CBIs) towards sustainability are increasing. Their activities and impacts have attracted academic interest but little attention has been given to how CBIs engage with policy and institutional spaces. One way in which CBIs engage with these spaces is through receiving public funding. This paper looks at the challenges and opportunities that public funding presents for community groups. Data for this paper were gathered though interviews with CBIs and public funding bodies. The findings show that CBIs experience challenges negotiating technical and procedural, goals and ways of working, affecting their identity and aspirations. In conclusion, we argue that although public funding is crucial for CBIs, it is accompanied by a range of managerial and technical procedures that enrol CBIs in state accountability mechanisms. This may have the effect of favouring a certain type of CBIs or excluding those that cannot or will not accept public funding.

Uncertainty and hope: Community therapeutics for the Anthropocene

This technical paper briefly explores collaborative systemic therapy for its potential contribution to helping community-based sustainability initiatives enhance the generation of social spaces within which changes in how members of a community engage in adaptations to climate change are facilitated.

Operationalising just sustainability: towards a model for place-based governance

ABSTRACTAs the concept of sustainability broadens to include social aspects, sustainability organisations must embrace strategies that allow them to more effectively address community issues and procedural concerns. Biosphere reserves (BRs) and model forests (MFs) advocate strongly for community engagement to achieve place-based sustainability; in practice, however, these organisations have had variable success in effectively engaging community residents and addressing their needs and interests. In this paper, we offer a framework for place-based governance for sustainability that is used to compare strategies used in BRs and MFs operating in the Maritime Provinces of Canada with the operations of Vibrant Communities, an anti-poverty organisation that operates locally in Saint John, New Brunswick. We draw attention to three imperatives: comprehensive understanding, community empowerment, and community-based outcomes, and five procedural drivers: local leadership, strong networks, diverse community engagement, learning together, and information sharing. Based on our results, we provide greater clarity on processes that address the imperatives and mobilise the drivers of effective place-based governance for sustainability. Our results suggest that there is a need for theory and practice to advance beyond current understandings of sustainability governance to enhance the capacity of organisations seeking to implement community-based sustainability strategies.

The potential of community-based sustainability projects for deep learning initiatives

Abstract This paper provides and illustrates a generic framework for deep learning in a Sustainability-based course for higher education instruction. The use of Sustainability Consulting Projects is detailed with potential application to similar programs as part of their Sustainable Education curriculum. Using four disparate institutions of higher learning across the eastern coast of the United States we can complete an exploratory analysis of the framework. This analysis will provide us opportunity to identify and characterize community sustainability projects and their contribution to higher order, integrative and reflective learning. This deep learning framework and model will be helpful to curriculum developers and instructors who wish to introduce these types of projects into their courses and curriculum. These processes and tools may be integrated into current Sustainability Management courses or used as the basis for development of specific courses focused specifically on this topic; e.g., Sustainability Consulting or as a capstone course. Lessons learned and framework design and implementation provide opportunities for further research and development of these courses.